Artist: AFK
Title: Eclipse
Label: Pacific Front Recordings
By: Jason Calvert | 18 June 2006
Tracklist:

• 1. Original Mix
• 2. Steve May 'Total Lunar' Mix
• 3. Dustin H 'Somebody Solar' Mix
• 4. Fractal 'Transit Of Venus' Mix

AFK "Eclipse"

One of the hottest imprints out of Canada - Pacific Front Recordings- strike again with this monster of a release. Davin Greenwell (AFK) has done a lot of solid work in the past, including "Lush", and a favourite of mine, his remix of C79's "Violent Silence". "Eclipse" sees Davin push his own boundaries even further, whilst still retaining that tight feel his work is renowned for.

The first thing to take my attention on the Original Mix was the graceful intro. After some slow burning effects, the percussion slowly hits in. Then the second thing to take my attention hit: the kick pattern. I'm a big fan of blissful intros and unique kick patterns, so this track didn't take long to win me over. But these only form the foundations of the track, what about the rest of it? The atmosphere is huge, due to airy pads in the mid to high ranges, and a storming melody which hits with pure force. The track has a cold and almost icy feel to it, capable of sending shivers through your body. This is quite easily the finest track of Davin's which I have had the pleasure of listening to.

Fellow Aussie Steve May provides the first remix, taking the track down a 4/4 route. The track pushes a lot of the sounds which we are familiar with from his previous work, and features some of those beautiful pads from the Original Mix. It was a nice track, but couldn't quite stand up to the raw power of the Original Mix.

Dustin Howie is one who has been causing quite a stir in the scene lately, so it's of little surprise he was snatched up by PFR to remix "Eclipse". He injects a burst of drive into the original and sends it straight onto the dancefloor. Where the original had atmospheric power, this interpretation has club power driven by heavy kicks and electro fuelled synths. A great contrast to the original mix which will certainly be seeing some excellent use without a doubt.

Finally is Thor Kell's remix, which strips the feel back quite a lot from the previous mixes. The overall production work is quite haunting, and Fractal manages to give the track a completely different feel to the other mixes. While it remains very low-key throughout, it has a certain charm about it which cannot be ignored. It also provides a great ending to a truly solid release.

I was more than impressed by this release from AFK and Pacific Front Recordings. The Original Mix is easily my pick from the four, but each of the mixes manage to bring something new to the track. The only thing I found slightly interesting was the lack of another breaks remix. Considering the highly eclectic kick pattern on the original mix, it was interesting that each of the remixers chose to go for a standard 4/4 kick pattern. But nonetheless, Pacific Front have hit the mark again.